In the production of paper and other cellulose pulp products, the process sometimes utilizes pulp that has been previously produced. Thus, in converting the pulp to a finished product, it must be repulped. A problem that has existed for a long time in the repulping process is the maintaining of a constant controlled consistency in the slurry produced by the repulping apparatus. A repulping apparatus includes a mechanical rotor blade rotating in a vat of pulp and water slurry which is produced by the mixing and shearing action of the rotor. The term "consistency" is defined in the industry as being the weight of fiber in the liquid, e.g., the pounds of fiber per 100 pounds of water. The difficulties in controlling the output consistency of the slurry are due to variations inherent in the process which are difficult to control. These variations include variable pulp bale weights depending on the source supplier, the moisture content of the pulp used in the repulping process, the volume of dilution water admitted into the pulper vat, the rate of addition of dilution water into the vat, and the dwell time in the pulper vat.
The instant invention is an improvement in the control for a repulping apparatus to take into account the variables mentioned above and produce a pulp and water slurry with a uniform consistency.